Clean Cities coordinators can assist fleets through the Clean Cities Technical Assistance Project, also known as Tiger Teams. This program can help fleets, fuel providers, and equipment manufacturers overcome obstacles for deploying alternative fuels and advanced vehicles. In other words, we can help you make informed choices to reduce your petroleum consumption!

Projects Eligible for Assistance

Clean Cities will consider technical-assistance requests for the following types of projects:

Evaluation of Project Potential: Some projects (including transit systems and airports) may qualify for technical assistance if expertise is not available from local or regional resources or stakeholders. When there is demonstrated local interest, a Tiger Teams expert can evaluate local market conditions, conduct infrastructure assessments, gauge stakeholder needs, and assist in defining project execution feasibility.

Applying for Assistance

To qualify for technical assistance, applicants must demonstrate they have made efforts to solve their problems using their own resources. Applicants can request technical assistance by submitting their contact information and details about the project to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. To start the process for assistance, call Louisiana Clean Fuels to get the ball rolling!

Save the date and plan to join us for an upcoming webinar scheduled for January 28 at 3pm ET, titled “AFV Air Pollutant Emissions”.

Andrew Burnham, from Argonne National Laboratory, will lead the webinar and will discuss issues related to the air pollutant emissions from alternative fuel and advanced vehicles. This webinar will discuss how various AFVs differ from conventional vehicles and how this has changed due to recent regulations.

Many researchers have been working to incorporate new data into Argonne’s GREET lifecycle model regarding these issues. From that research, Andrew has created the AFLEET Tool for Clean Cities stakeholders to estimate the environmental (and economic) impacts of AFVs. You can find both the AFLEET Tool spreadsheet and user manual here: http://greet.es.anl.gov/afleet_tooland on theAlternative Fuels Data Center website.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration will be issuing draft rules on medium to heavy-duty vehicle standards later this spring. CALSTART, in partnership with NAFA, has developed the following online survey to collect feedback from fleet and commercial vehicle end-users on high-efficiency vehicles and cost/ownership models used to make purchasing decisions. Responses will help define the benefits and operational requirements of rolling-out aggressive fuel economy standards that support high-efficiency vehicle technologies.

We would greatly appreciate if you could distribute this survey to your fleet contacts and industry colleagues.

All contact info and survey responses will remain confidential, we will only publish aggregated results and data in a final report to support these strong emission standards. If you have any questions, concerns or would like to follow-up with CALSTART, please contact me at 626-744-5655 or tbloch-rubin@calstart.org.

Question of the Month: What are some of the major electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) networks, and how can plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) drivers access their stations? What are the costs associated with each network?

Answer:Most PEV charging occurs at home, but for those who have a need to charge at a public location, it’s important to understand available charging networks. While EVSE networks and charging infrastructure are frequently evolving, a sampling of the major networks currently includes AeroVironment, Blink, ChargePoint, GE WattStation Connect, Greenlots SKY, NRG eVgo, SemaConnect, and Tesla. Each network has a unique model, with the most common approaches being monthly subscriptions, pay-as-you-go (i.e., pay per charge), and free (free to charge and no subscription fee required).

To determine which charging networks have EVSE along your regular routes and close to your frequent destinations, use the Alternative Fuels Data Center (AFDC) Station Locator (http://www.afdc.energy.gov/locator/stations/) and the Plan a Route function (http://www.afdc.energy.gov/locator/stations/route/). Select a station, click “more details,” and refer to the “electric charging network” field. Other networks currently represented in the Station Locator include EV Connect, EVSE LLC WebNet, GRIDbot, OpConnect, RechargeAccess, and Shorepower. Please note that many public EVSE are not networked and do not require specific access cards.

EVSE Networks

For detailed information on a range of charging networks, see below. As mentioned above, this is meant to show the diversity among EVSE networks, particularly those represented in the Station Locator, and is not a comprehensive listing.

Access:Monthly subscription, pay-as-you-go. Unlimited monthly access is provided for a monthly rate, or you may pay-as-you-go. To subscribe, call the company or fill out a form online. You will receive a key fob in the mail, which is needed to initiate a charging session. A one-time activation fee of $15 is required for new subscribers.

Access:Pay-as-you-go. Start by registering a credit card with a Blink account. There are no required annual or monthly membership fees, and no minimum credit card balance. Once registered, you will receive an “InCard” and can initiate a charge using the card. Guests can also initiate a charge with Blink’s mobile application.

Access:Pay-as-you-go, free. Sign up for free by submitting your credit card information via the website. You will receive an access card in the mail. If you initiate a session at a networked station that requires a fee, ChargePoint will assess an initial deposit of $25. Stationscan be activated by using the ChargePoint card or your registered credit card. Users who do not have a ChargePoint card can use the EVSE by calling the number provided below, which is also listed on the EVSE.

Access:Pay-as-you-go. To start charging with WattSation Connect, register and log in through the website. You will then be asked to link your account to PayPal for payment, and download the WattStation Connect mobile application.

Access:Monthly subscription, pay-as-you-go. To start charging with the Greenlots SKY network, download the Greenlots mobile application, which will allow you to search for stations, view real-time status and pricing, and choose between a prepaid monthly subscription or pay-as-you-go.

Access:Monthly subscription, pay-as-you-go. NRG eVgo provides multiple charging network plan options, including a monthly subscription and an option to pay-as-you-go. To subscribe, visit the website and sign up for a charging plan in your area.

Access: Pay-as-you-go. To sign up, log on to the SemaConnect website and open a new account with a $20 balance charged to a major credit card. You will receive a “SemaCharge Pass” radio-frequency identification (RFID) card that can be used to initiate charging at any SemaConnect location. SemaConnect also offers mobile payments via its smartphone application, toll-free number, or via a QR code scan.

Access: Free.Tesla Superchargers do not require an access card; Tesla Model S owners can drive up and plug in. The chargers are compatible with Model S vehicles equipped with the 85 or 60 kilowatt-hour (kWh) battery pack that have been configured to use Superchargers. Note that other PEV models cannot access Tesla Superchargers.

Contact: 877-79-TESLA

The table below provides an overview of the access type and costs associated with each network.